Blanc: Too many doubts about Gourcuff
Reuters - Wednesday 30 May 2012, 17:22
There were too many
doubts about Yoann Gourcuff's fitness for Laurent Blanc to
include him in his Euro 2012 squad, the France coach said on
Wednesday.
Gourcuff, who had two mediocre seasons at Olympique Lyon,
was included in a preliminary 26-man squad as the only proper
playmaker but he failed to impress in a 3-2 friendly win over
Iceland last Sunday, picking up a minor ankle injury in the
process.
The squad was trimmed to 25 when striker Loic Remy was ruled
out of Euro 2012 because of injury and Blanc on Tuesday had to
drop two players before submitting his 23-man squad to UEFA.
Gourcuff and Montpellier centre-back Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa left
the squad after lunch.
"We had picked him because we wanted him to have an
important role in the team," Blanc told a news conference at
France's training camp in the sea resort of Le Touquet.
"Unfortunately, after five days, after the game [against
Iceland], after another ankle injury, there were too many
uncertainties surrounding him."
Gourcuff, whose form nose-dived after leading Girondins
Bordeaux to the French title in 2009, played only a few games
for Lyon this season.
"He was behind [physically]. This injury is annoying but
it's not just from the match, it's a recurrent injury," Blanc
added. "There were to many uncertainties."
France, who are drawn in Group D with co-hosts Ukraine,
England and Sweden, take on Serbia in a warm-up game in Reims on
Thursday.